#★ knight in tarnished armor ‐ elden ring ★

[lunarbrambles]

[ original referenced post can be found here ]

@aberrantthornes

The Carian Knight sheepishly grinned at the startled state of Alberich, and lowered both their head and shoulders. "Oh! Heh, Uhh, forgive me," he apologized in his breathy, deep voice, its intonation as sorry as it was upbeat as if to ease his companion, "I did not mean to startle you and should have known you were deep in your thoughts." It was not uncommon, after all, for even himself to lose all concept of both time and place during study. And from his time around more academic-focused sorcerers, it seemed a defining trait to become so absorbed in the study of magic it swallowed them whole and became them.

"To answer your question, indeed, it is 'late.' The stars are out, the full moon is large and bright silver, and the sun is just peaking over the horizon. But from another perspective, it's shockingly early. A perfectly clear, calm night, perfect for the observation of the night sky."

He punctuated the statement with a broad, friendly smile as he folded his arms, overly conscious of his often intimidating stature and build as he tried to not have them too tight against himself as to not look confrontational or angry. Then, he ambled to Alberich's side, again thinking far too much about body language and position, but also so he didn't have to twist around to look at the tall Carian.

"Can't be any worse than listening to arguments and negotiations over trading routes or dowries," Adrian replied with the barest hint of a lopsided and sly smile, "Or, for that manner, having to ask Master Seluvis for help on anything. Sometimes a little silence is nicer to listen to than chatter, and I say this as someone who generally cannot keep their mouth shut."

[lunarbrambles]

Adrian's brow furrowed, making him look nearly angry, with the intensity of his curiosity and the deepness of his thinking. The Eternal Cities were rumored to be hiding all sorts of treasures and treacheries, so there could be no telling what Ranni sought to find. He heard many a thing about the sort of artifacts of great power there and even rumors about an entire lost school of spells not seen on the surface. Maybe she even sought out information about the Black Moon they worshiped that resulted them being banished to their subterranean jail.

It would be lying if he said he himself didn't take interest in even peaking into the long lost Eternal City, between wanting to see it in person and learn something long-lost. But he also knew such a journey would be gravely dangerous. Who knew what lay in wait down there in the depths, long untapped by those above.

"I suspect you are right. I've never seen any of the Eternal Cities myself, only read about them in books and heard stories, but as I'm sure you're aware, not everything you read or hear is true, and not everything is as it first seems," he replied while nodding his head, scratching at the stubble on his chin and the sides of his face, " I will prepare the best I can—neither of us know what exactly to expect, but I'm certain at the very least the meteor that passed into it might have created instabilities down below. And I imagine if anyone still calls the city home, they won't be keen on seeing those from above taking their belongings."

"Fortuitous, indeed, that we crossed paths. Should we encounter any hostile sorcerers, and we may very well, I have a counterspell known only to knights of Caria at my disposal."

lunarbrambles​:

Adrian made small, introspective noises as he listened to Katarn and thought over the topic at hand. Again, it seemed his new companion deeply believed what he spoke about, and for once he decided to push away the itchy, uncomfortable questions his mind kept raising because Adrian had been through so much his trust in others had been forever shaken. Blasphemy against the Greater Will and the Golden Order absolutely didn’t bother him; after all, he worshiped the moon, and once the Shattering happened, it became clear how willing they had been to drop not just Caria as an ally, but the veneer of civility. The demigods broke out into all too human and all too selfish squabbles over power.

It should be no surprise that they should be so selfish and cruel: after all, the demigods were merely people with divine powers granted by the Great Rune and by extension the Greater Will.

With a pensive furrow of his brow, the Tarnished knight took the map and looked over it. Then, he turned his attention again to Katarn. “Interesting how it leads to one of the Eternal Cities, banished from the surface for offending the Golden Order so thoroughly. Yes, I’ll meet you there. I’m very intrigued about where this all leads,” he replied with a raised eyebrow. It seemed fitting that the path would lead deep underground to the cursed city of Nokron whose magical society greatly resembled that of Caria, down to being matrilinear and deifying the moon.

After a moment, he asked, “Do you have any idea what to expect when we’re there? So I know how to prepare for it, I mean.”

“No one has ventured down into the Eternal Cities in centuries. Even Ranni did not know what to expect in those ruins.” 

Katarn heard about the urban legends of Queen Marika’s fallen eagle legions; hundreds of elite troops, with blessings from the Queen herself, still lost in the abyss without a trace. If historical accords on Nokron’s Numen origin was anything to go by, the underground world may have surprises in store the likes of which no one could imagine.

“I’d suggest gearing up the best you can. It was said Carian sorcery can be traced back to Nokron and Nokstella, Marika and her Black Knives may also be of its linage. Even after centuries of decay, I imagine the ruins won’t just surrender its prize just yet.” 

He shivered while recalling the ominous black towers of the Eternal City across Siofra river. Blaidd was with him at the time, but the Shadow himself seemed on edge instinctively. There was also… the faraway temple across the chasm, shrouded by a foreboding crimson aura, its foundation seemingly drenched in blood. He had a feeling sooner or later, he would have to confront the power dwelling within.

[lunarbrambles]

[ continued from here, @aberrantthornes ]

Upon Alberich averting his eyes, Adrian, with his crimson hood down, tilted his head to the side so that it angled diagonally. Sometimes, he wished he could read the thoughts of other people to understand what possessed them to react in the ways they did, and this time certainly counted. Truth be told, the sorcerer mystified him. Mayhaps the former Carian Knight had come off more forward and with far more weighty implications than he intended. But he had put his foot in his mouth before.

When the sorcerer finally removed his hat right after Adrian felt convinced he wouldn't, the former Carian knight simply gave him an understated, almost shy smile, not too big and overbearing as he often did, but not too small as to not be noticed. He gazed right into Alberich's eyes, wordless, for several moments, unwilling to break the silence.

The grin tugged a bit wider at one corner as he angled himself—which admittedly, given his height, felt a bit awkward and might have looked just as odd and uncomfortable as he imagined it to—in order to gently rest his head on the other man's left shoulder while folding his arms. Then, he let out a soft, content sigh, feeling a warm feeling crawl up his chest that made him feel breathless in a good way.

[lunarbrambles]

[continued from here, @aberrantthornes]

Of course, the tall Carian Knight had been listening. While he might not have had the same exact academic understanding those that went to study at Raya Lucaria had, his grasp could hardly be described as flimsy. His use of spells and training tended to be a little more practical, and thus he hadn't really needed to overly familiarize himself with the more theoretical aspects. Still, it fascinated him the same, and Adrian greatly desired to hold the same level of understanding.

Since becoming Tarnished, his eyes had really been opened to the nature of the world, and knew from here on out he needed to expand his own magical arsenal. Surely, he had his two falchions and Carian Retaliation, a closely held secret by the Carian Knights, specifically designed to deal with wayward sorcerers in case the stars and the moon went their separate ways. Indeed, Adrian had his own things to keep private.

At least he had more than enough knowledge to know who the Crystalians were, especially given they were so widely regarded at the Academy for having ideals close to that of the primeval current.

Key word there being had. The knowledge, and passion towards, sorcery of Alberich certainly piqued his interest, but the more the two of them spoke, the more the knight realized just how much of that razor sharp wit found attractive, and in that moment something knocked loose hard in his head that both delighted and disturbed him. With Caria manor gone, his lord dead, the knights formerly disbanded... he couldn't really use his vow as an excuse to pretend he didn't experience attraction or desire any more, could he? It should have overjoyed him, and yet....

He immediately looked up, into the man's eyes gleaming beneath that hat, upon him speaking. Though he held his composure otherwise, his face began to turn various hues of blotchy scarlet, from his eyes all the way down his throat, though he could hardly see how much it betrayed him. An apologetic and nervous grin swept across his face.

"Oh, not at all." That was a lie. "I've never really understood the obsession with the primeval current, not that it's a problem itself. Just that... well. Just compare the difference in both theory and practice between the former Carian knights and the academy. Not really light and day, but you start seeing lines of inquiry stray away from what the astrologists discovered so long ago on the mountain tops. Then there's the gravity sorcery of Sellia, whose magic is based on knowledge gleaned from meteors, and the frost magic of the Zamor that bears little resemblance from elucidation from the stars...".

At the very least, he did not stammer, not did he avert his gaze, trying to iron will his way through. But stars and moon....

[lunarbrambles]

radiant-and-terrifying, taken from [here]

“Liurnia of the Lakes… hm. Seems to resemble more of a swamp than a lake, I must say,” she notes, appraising the shallow, muddy water with a rather unimpressed expression. She’d been told of water deeper than the eye could see, clear enough to see schools of fish swim about, but perhaps that was just another of those legends caregivers would tell their children before bed. On the contrary, the young woman seems rather short for a Nox, yet she’s donned in the slightly-modified robes of a Swordstress nonetheless. “In that case, I suppose I am on the right track. Thank you, sir — I happen to be searching for… ah, the east side of the island in which Raya Lucaria rests, but I must admit, I have found myself… rather lost.”

The former Carian Knight let out a small but strident, melancholic laugh; indeed, his home country, sinking into the earth, looked far from its former glory. "Your observation is not without merit. The lakes were once far more distinct. But then central Liurnia started sinking into the ground. I wonder how long before it's completely swallowed up. It's... sad to think about. It started happening after Rennala went into mourning after Radagon left and the princesses died," he replied ruefully, his normally loud, almost booming voice going quiet. It still felt so raw to come out of the grave and discover the Shattering made Liurnia barely recognizable.

Adrian made a loud hmm as he scratched at the stubble on his chin. "The geography is still at least recognizable, if in ruins in some places, and I've been through a few times since," he began to ramble off as though thinking out loud, "The main paths have either been submerged by water or broken entirely by the shifting of the land. There's still glintstone lights that show the path to Raya Lucaria, but they can be a little difficult to make out, even at night... and too many dangerous things lurk around the lake" His brow furrowed deeply, and he had taken upon himself to stroke his broad chin in thought.

"I can either show you on a map if you have one, or if you're so inclined, guide you to the easiest way onto the eastern shore. I must warn you, though you might have noticed yourself, it's much more dangerous than it used to be around here."

[lunarbrambles]

Though he still took Zelya's hand in assistance, not wanting to seem rude, Adrian mounted the horse flawlessly, as if it were an instinct granted to him by his ancestors on those mountaintops so very long ago rather than muscle memory from being a proud, banner waving Carian knight. Being on a horse again didn't just feel natural, it felt right, as if he made for that purpose. It did feel a bit odd, though, to be behind someone for once, to act as passenger. And the fact the one leading the horse stood shorter and had a much slighter build than himself didn't help.

He craned himself over her shoulder to look at the map, though mindful of her personal space. "You are correct. The manor is very northwest on the map, right before the mountains. It's pretty hard to miss; there's a fort right before it. Or, well. Was a fort," Adrian spoke, coming to a sudden an eerie halt when he remembered the Cuckoo knight attacks on the outlying settlements and forts in Caria territory, then the manor itself. Staring at the map, he clenched his fists and his jaw in bitterness while trying hard to not show it too much in his countenance.

"But yes, I agree on riding along the shore. With the sinking of Liurnia to a singular lake, there's definitely more deadly wildlife than there used to be. And unlife, as it would seem. Surely you've heard them, the wailing of the ghasts on the main path towards Raya Lucaria, ringing their bells while they search for the living?" he shuddered, remembering that one of the first sights of a ghoulish thing in robes on a headless, rotten horse upon finding the site grace on the shore not too far from the southern path from Limgrave.

Then, he explained in a sorrowful tone and slightly down turned head, "Alas, I know little more than you do I'm afraid. Possibly less about current rumors given I feel like I crawled out of the grave far later than other Tarnished unfit for the Erdtree; everything now seems so new and strange. She was not only clearly Rennala's favored child, but her eldest daughter and was to take on the title of Queen after her. Many of the Carian Knights watched her grow up. But I keep hearing echoes of her name. There must be some reason for it."

lunarbrambles // x

Veszelya gnawed the inside of her cheek as she mulled this over. What little she had been told of the Carian royal family’s fate had been mostly to do with Rennala. Radahn’s capture of the stars, too, had been explained to her, though she hadn’t learned much of his fate. Ranni and Rykard, however…she knew the names, knew that Ranni was dead; but none of the adults in her minuscule circle growing up had wanted to speak of them, and according to her father, all the relevant tomes on the subject had been destroyed.

The curiosity and fascination ate at her insides. She fought back the urge to continue the interrogation right there and then, out in the open, where they might be set upon by who knows what. 

“I certainly like to think so,” she replied instead, regarding her horse. “At least, I like to hope so. It isn’t so easy to care for her out on the road, but she’s far less skittish with me now than she was.”

As she spoke, she guided Grace another short distance so the mare stood beside a small stump. It was obviously a process horse and rider had become accustomed to, and a necessary one, considering how large the horse and how small the mage. Stepping atop the stump, Zelya reached up to take hold of the saddle, and with some effort, inexpertly clambered aboard. She scooted forward to give Adrian room to mount behind her, offering a hand should he need the assistance. As he got himself situated, she dug about in the saddlebags until she came up with a somewhat water-damaged map, unfurling it and leaning to the side somewhat to show him. It was a bit of an inexpert and half-finished mess; a cartographer Zelya was not. “So I think we’re about…here, ish,” she remarked, tapping at the easternmost side of the lakebed with her finger, “and the manor is…northwest, yes? I’m thinking we skirt the edge of the lake to avoid running into too much of the, ah, wildlife, if we can help it. What do you think?” 

She looked back at him over her shoulder, and smiled. “Also, the only compensation that I require of you is that you tell me what rumors you heard of the late Princess Ranni. You told me about Radahn and Rykard, but hers was the first name you mentioned.”

[lunarbrambles]

[ @glintingstones, continued from {here} ]

Adrian froze, his down-turned eyes suddenly wide and round at Zelya's inquiry. True, he should have known he would inevitably be questioned as to why he would ever bridge the topic to begin with. He knew that he should have been ready to explain himself. With eyes still darting around, he contemplated lying—at first, at least. But even if he was generally good at recovery and became a natural in self-delusion, the Carian Knight was a terrible outright liar, especially with how off guard he found himself.

"I, uhh." He kept his eyes uncannily glued to the sorceress. "Well." Adrian continued to struggle to bring himself to say it, as he scratched at the itchy stubble on his chin and ran his fingers through his hair.

"What if I told you I uhh, infuriated my parents and all but lost my family name because I refused to marry a Leyndell noble's daughter," again, there was a long, awkward pause as he squirmed and began to talk much faster, "because I fell in love with the very married noble man I served under and well. Because it didn't sit right with me to marry the lady only for her to learn I only laid with her in order to further our lineage and solely took male lovers. Nobility is umm. Strange. It's anticipated that in an arranged marriage you'd take other partners, some for actual love, some for pleasure, and yet having that in the open is unacceptable."

"They don't know the uhh, part about being stupidly infatuated with the noble. They just know I took a vow of chastity specifically to avoid the marriage, and well. Even if the Carians weren't matrilinear, I'd be getting absolutely nothing. Not that it matters now, with most of the Carians dead."

He added after a deep sigh, "You're the only person that knows that by the way."

[lunarbrambles]

[ ✈️ ] does your muse like to travel? have they travelled in the past? where would they like to go? (Elden Ring Verse Addy)

Carian Knight Adrian is quite fond of traveling, or at least used to be prior to "well, my life is now nothing but travel" thanks to the whole "dying, returning to the Erdtree only to become a graceless Tarnished, and exiled because Tarnished" ordeal. Accompanying a lord means he had to do a lot of it, and got to see Limgrave/Stormveil, Caelid prior to the Rot, as well as even Leyndell before all the war broke out.

As far as destinations he never got to go to but absolutely wanted to, the Haligtree is absolutely at the top of the list given it's an absolute marvel of architecture and magical botany, but given its current state of being rotted and sacked, he would probably be incredibly disappointed.

[lunarbrambles]

[ 💍 ] does your muse have trouble committing to others? are they comfortable being this way, or would they prefer to be different? (for ER Adrian, if you're still accepting!)

headcanon memes - still accepting!

Let me put it this way: former Carian Knight Adrian is so committed he committed himself in his mind to a married minor lord with children he had absolutely no chance with after his accolades when he turned 21, and considering he died and returned to the Erdtree graceless as a Tarnished at 38 and never had a relationship with anyone else...

Not that he wouldn't be open to alternative relationship arrangements that honored fidelity but Adrian is basically a "'til death due us part" person who is deathly serious about romantic commitments, even if in the example I gave it makes him a bit foolish in a sympathetic way.

[lunarbrambles]

So lost in his own mental maelstrom, the former Carian Knight had barely registered the arrival of a fellow Tarnished upon their spectral horse, pushing the galloping out of his mind until he could no longer ignore the sight before him. He visibly startled, flinching hard as he began to reach for one of his falchions. His brow furrowed deeply, and the small but woefully noticeable wrinkle that had formed between his eyebrows from years of frowning and glowering creased. But the voice stilled his hand; Adrian had not been approached by a wandering wraith or bandit. His sable brown eyes darted across Merri’s face as it ignited memories, far more recent than those he dwelled on.

Oddly enough, the time he spent after his death and exile after becoming a graceless Tarnished seemed far more distant than the ones spent around Caria Manor, but it all came back to him, flooding him with former sensations. Flooding him like Liurnia, drowning him. Once cast out of the Lands Between, he had banded with other Tarnished for survival and to stave off the lunacy that came from extended periods of solitude. After all, Caria Manor once flourished with Liurnia’s moon-worshipping aristocracy, now loathed once more by the Golden Order. He hardly ever found himself alone, between his extensive training as a knight, to accompanying and protecting the lords there. And after feeling abandoned, he needed to be surrounded again.

It had been foolish, nay, completely asinine to rush off by himself in the first place. Carian Knight Adrian would have never left the heterogeneous yet harmonious band, but apparently Adrian the Tarnished, so desperate for the glory of the past, would.

The group he stayed with consisted of Tarnished of all different backgrounds and idiosyncrasies, but the one before him he remembered… at least enough to recognize her once he actually relaxed his broad shoulders, resulting in the plate metal of his gauntlets and arms clinking softly. Adrian squinted at Merri as he tried to recall her name. It was on the tip of his tongue, yet refused to reveal itself towards him, and that frustrated him enough that he ground his teeth together. So close… what is it???

“Oh. Forgive me, my lady, and my instincts, you caught me terribly off-guard,” the former knight said with a faint smile curling across his thin lips. Then, his smile broadened until a full, toothy grin that expanded up his cheeks. Even already being in the illumination of the site of grace, he lit up.

“We were in a group of Tarnished, were we not? Sorry, the finer details elude my mind. That was a… busy time. Hard to remember names when people seemed to phase in and out of existence, sometimes to never return.” The intonation of his voice wavered at the end, an accidental admission to his own guilt.

Adrian pushed himself off the ground onto his feet, then, with both hands, peeled the hood down to better reveal his face. Then, he performed a low bow, with the left foot extended out past the right, while extended out his right forearm while dipping his head in respect. Then, once he raised himself to his former position, he then added, “I don’t know if you remember me, but my name is Adrian, and I used to be a Carian knight, if the armor did not give me away.” A small chuckle, though not sardonic or ill-intending, escaped his mouth as he gestured at the blue cloth and the silver metal of his armor.

 Merri had been enormously excited when she’d found her way into Liurnia. To watch the crags of Stormhill fall away into a lake that stretched as far as the eye could see, with the sun climbing over the horizon and dyeing the entire scene gold... she’d spent quite some time just sitting and watching, high off the victory over Godrick and plucking petals from flowers as she imagined Roderika’s response to her success. Nobody else would die to the king’s lust for grafting. Her friends could rest in peace.

       But Merrimac had been left with the question of what to do next. Did she return to the Mistwood? Too much time spent in Stormhill had soured her to wide open spaces and howling winds. She wanted to be back under the cover of the trees, in the dark and the quiet. Oh, but Liurnia. When she’d first emerged in Limgrave, she had immediately made her way down to Agheel Lake to bask in the waters. She’s sat amongst the ruins and thought that there would never be more water in a single place. Then she’d seen the ocean, and boggled, but while the beach itself was enjoyable, the sharp cliff that marked the edge of the lands between made her wary, for she could not swim. Liurnia presented a compromise: water, water, everywhere, and not so deep that she would drown! She wanted to feel it on her skin. She wanted it in her hair and between her lips. She wanted to sit in it and watch the clouds roll across the sky.

       So, mind made up, she’d descended, and had been pleased to find that not only was there the lake, but dense copses of trees breaking up the wind. She ran Torrent in circles, urging him over rocks and ruins, basking in the freedom the space afforded and how wonderful the sound of her friend’s hooves splashing along was. Day turned to night, and she wasn’t afraid of the dark; but she did realize, sometime after midnight, that she had not seen a site of grace since the hilltop. Not fancying the trek back if she were to be jumped before morning, she released Torrent and began scanning the area for the telltale glimmer of gold. Luckily, it wasn’t hard to find, but it was already occupied. Oh, well. She was anything but shy. “Hello there!”

       ( She had died some time ago; the precise date was impossible to remember. Time moved differently in the Badlands. Apart from the Lands Between, the Tarnished carried on their endless march, fighting and dying as they went, following their chieftain wherever he led. Not that it mattered. There was no destination, and the way back was lost to them, until the day the Erdtree called them back. She had died in the night, that captain of the guard -- captain since her sister left, to stay with some scholar. When the gates to the settlement broke, she was the last to hold the line, and the last to be dragged back to the church, to her mother the healer. She died with arrows in her chest and blood in her throat, insisting with what breath she had that the high priestess stop, and conserve her magic for someone who could still be saved. Ulrica had been born in the Badlands, and her duty to her community was everything to her. The needs of the many was a phrase burned into her mind from the time that she learned to speak. She died too soon, her lord father still absent; he returned to a hastily-dug grave and his cold daughter’s mouth filled with Erdleaf flowers. They mourned, and then they moved on, and the girl forgot it all upon waking, like a dream. )

[lunarbrambles]

"Wait, is it obvious I'm gay? And if I am, has everyone else around me known the entire time and not bothered to tell me that they knew???"

[lunarbrambles]

[ 🚌 ] what haunts your muse? is there any event in your muse’s past that they can’t move past? ((For Bloodborne and/or Elden Ring verses))

BLOODBORNE VERSE:

OOH BOY YOU'RE IN FOR IT. Vileblood Adrian's character was heavily inspired by the myth of Orestes (hi, I took a course on Greco-Roman mythology and an existentialism class) and the fic I'm currently writing featuring them is called Song of the Furies so that should be a clue what you're in for. I'm not going to be in a cut, but I will put in a CW for patricide. Blood curses and the idea of a family being cursed are pretty goddamn in-line with Bloodborne, so....

The load-bearing reason for escaping Sicily (as well as not just stop running when they reached mainland Italy and booked it far to Yharnam where the likelihood of someone finding out was low. Not nonzero, but exceptionally low) was that they killed both of their parents. The death of their abusive father, Riccardo, by Lucia was planned, the death of their mother, Salvatrice, by Adrian, however, was not, and completely accidental. When Lucia killed their father, their mother retaliated by going after Lucia, and well, things got really ugly and Adrian hadn't even meant to kill her.

And Adrian hasn't really been able to get over it between the whole "that was severely traumatic to even a normal person" and being brought up in a religious Catholic Sicilian household to always honor your parents.

This was years before they found out about being three generations removed from the Vilebloods, and probably would have hated it even more if they found out their father deliberately kept this a secret and planned on dragging his two queer adult kids (pun very intended) to Cainhurst.

Needless to say, Adrian is haunted by a lot of guilt (imagine that, an ex-Catholic with a guilt complex) and this greatly influences how they perceive Queen Annalise as well as the Moon Presence that silently governs all Paleblood Hunters.

ELDEN RING VERSE:

As far as Carian Knight Adrian, he can't move past dying for the minor Carian lord he fell in love with, protecting him (as well as innocent inhabitants of the manor) in the chaotic aftermath of the Shattering. Not that he died for someone, but the man he died for died shortly after he himself did, and in his eyes it was completely unnecessary. There's no honor in death, and there certainly isn't honor in basically the equivalent of raiding places with the express intent of gaining power.

[lunarbrambles]

"I know for a fact many of the denizens of Leyndell feel the same in reverse when they go down the highway to the Loft and take it down to Liurnia. Well, at least the ones who stomach coming out to the manor or Raya Lucaria to speak to Rennala personally," he replied, first with mirth in his voice, then wonder. The skies in the Lands Between always seemed saturated with the light of the Erdtree, but at least in the Lakes, one could actually see the stars and moons on a clear night. Up in Leyndell, it was near-impossible to get a decent glimpse of the cosmos above. No wonder they were known more for their incantations than their sorcery, not that the Carian knight thought incantations didn't have their place, or were an inferior form of magic. A shame, too, but also a blessing, that the Golden Order sought little wisdom in the threads of fate laid out in the stars, a blanket of twinkling blue and amber.

Of course, then they would have also seen their attempted invasions of Liurnia were destined to fail, to enter a stalemate with the Queen until Radagon married her in their truce. They would have known that even if only a handful of the royal enchanted knight order that were the Carian Knights existed, each of them were incredibly fierce and tenacious. And their lack of number meant they could all incredibly specialize outside their use of magic; indeed, Lady Loretta in particular was known for her unusual spells that conjured a magical glintstone bow and arrow. Adrian, in particular, preferred dexterity and skill over strength even if he had the physique for it. In fact, his height and build actually encouraged his ability to outmaneuver opponents, it just meant that he possessed a center of gravity more easily exploited than knights shorter than himself.

"I imagine a lot of time in the north is spent indoors staying warm then. I suppose I could see the appeal of curling up in front of a hearth," he remarked.

Perhaps one day he would see for himself, but for the time being, he had neither the reason nor the time to go up there himself. Besides, he heard the capitols forces forbid travel to those lands and defended this edict with force. Remembering that caused him to frown slightly. No wonder Alberich felt so cast out if he couldn't return home.

The broad smile beneath his helm crinkled the very edges of Adrian's eyes at the mention of his travels. "Fortunately, my dear companion, that is why we domesticated horses," he teasingly replied, giving his horse a gentle pat on the side, "But... yes. It can still takes days even if the weather cooperates and there's no highwaymen on the road. It gives enough time for some contemplation at least." Not that he would ever shirk important duties at the manor like protecting the princesses or the noble above him, but even an extrovert like him found the manor far too busy and noisy at times. And he could only imagine the Academy would be the same way, especially for someone like Alberich that seemed more on the introverted side. Sometimes, you just wanted a nice little corner to hide in and breathe.

He didn't think he could smile any broader, but somehow he managed to as he chuckled, "My sentiments exactly about the night sky over the capitol! I never could understand how they could cope not seeing the stars or the moons. Or, well. Having the Erdtree looming over them, moreso than other places of the Lands Between. I'm sure some strange little bard in the capitol has nonetheless crafted ballads about the romance of the night sky being polluted by a great glowing golden tree."

Noticing the sorcerer struggle, the knight asked, the mirth in his voice morphing into concern, "Do you need help carrying your belongings? Or perhaps you would appreciate taking a break from walking? Or... both?" He even cocked his head to the side like a curious dog.

starter for @lunarbrambles​

  Alberich never quiet liked how wet Liurnia was. A northerner by birth, he was used to much harsher weather. Snowfall all year around and harsh winds that tore at your coat and hair, which made frost seep into your very bone. But it was all temporary, the cold could come and go, especially near a source of heat. The wetness never left. It continued to linger, making his hair and clothes feel damp and dirty under the sun. At least the weather had been good today. Fog in Liurnia made the half-submerged streets even harder to see while traveling. It all was suffocating.

   He felt far better now that he had reach the highway towards the Manor, along the cliffs. An endless pursuit of knowledge, that was what had led him behind the towering walls once before to converse with another likeminded sorcerer. Moons had passed since then and either his memory had been off, or he was lost. These woods did not quiet line up with what was drawn on his map. Did he take a wrong turn?

[lunarbrambles]

The former Carian knight sheathed his paired falchions. With the coast clear and after returning to the previous eerie calm, Adrian suddenly realized sweat beaded along his hairline and neck. His face felt hot, and indeed, the small swordfight he just found himself victorious of caused his face to flush slightly from exertion. Pulling the hood off his head, the knight nodded at Katarn as he caught his breath. After some of the heated feeling went away, he took a greedy swig of Crimson Tears, its medicinal, almost piquant taste causing him to cringe. Immediately, he could feel the wound on his left shoulder mend as though the injury never happened. The searing pain left, and the bleeding stopped.

"If my encounter is any indication, the Nox still call this place home after eons and aren't so willing to let their closely guarded secrets go," he said as his breath returned to almost normal cadence, "And if what you say is true, then we'll encounter more resistance the closer we get to the artifact."

Adrian cleared his throat. "Ah, no wonder the Eternal Cities were banished to a subterranean existence, then, and Marika didn't even bother to try to assimilate them like the Carians. It is one thing to be a heretic to a religion; it is another to be antitheistic towards it. And it's rather difficult to subsume a group of people that despise your god and your religion's attempt at control."

After he ceased his talking, the Tarnished took the time to take in the sights around him. The false night sky above, with its deep shades of violet and indigo and thousands of faux twinkling stars briefly captivated him with its sublime, artificial beauty, like a rare gem made by the hands of a human being than something formed naturally through heat and pressure underground over the course of thousands of years. Then, after his gaze swept across the horizon, he noticed the macabre monument before them and did a visible doubletake.

The hairs on the back of his neck raised, and something more than just a disturbed feeling in his gut made him feel oddly floaty. It felt like something thrummed through him, almost like electricity, yet he felt absolutely no pain at all to indicate a current. And with the sheer amount of highly conductive metal of his armor, if anything around them produced bolt like lightning from the heavens, they would most certainly be made known of it.

"What do you think that is?" Both wonderment and dread filled his voice.

lunarbrambles​:

Currently oblivious to the battle below, the Carian Knight continued forward through the broken black spire that had he been there in a different mindset and not on edge, would have admired its haunting beauty. He would have reached out and touched the smooth, cool, almost mirror-like glossy surface. Everything he saw down here was an utter marvel both in terms of functional design and form. But from everything he had heard about Nokron, nothing suggested it should be abandoned, so why was it so quiet and still?

When Adrian strolled out of the tower back into the open cavern and under the false sky onto a great platform, he immediately stopped at the sight of a figure, taller than even himself, wearing a flowing white shawl and veil with a horned crown adorning their head and wielding a bizarre looking curved sword that gleamed a bright silver. Their footsteps had been so quiet, Adrian hadn’t even heard them patrolling the area. His sudden stop had hardly been silent; the chainmail worn underneath his cuirass made the slightest jingling, and it was enough the figure turned sharply around the face the source.

There was scarcely time for his heart to thud in his chest and ears before the Nox swordstress raised her flowing sword, her graceful, effortless swings reminding him of the steady current of a river. At this distance, and with very little room to maneuver, the knight could do little to dodge the deft deluge of attacks. The very weapon used against him seem designed to get in between the weak points of armor as well; it looked like a shotel, but even more curved. He felt the needle-fine tip of the blade find its way below his pauldrons, tearing across his left shoulder like it was a tender roast.

Perhaps later he would admire her sword fighting skills, but for now this denizen of Nokron needed to be dispatched. The slightly muted blue cloth on his armor began to soak from the wound, and the knight grit his teeth hard between a deep snarl. Instead of merely waiting for another hit to slice through him, the Carian Knight ducked beneath a sweep and launched his falchions at her like a ravenous praying mantis. His left sword drew blood cruelly as the right’s enchanted cold blade chilled the opponent. Long ago, the Carian Knight had these falchions infused with these effects with the explicit knowledge that for most, the combined effects would not only cause vulnerable opponents to bleed out, but to exhaust themselves. Of course, they had to be susceptible to both, but the sinister combination worked fantastic with fleshy opponents—especially human ones.

Rather than stand there and let the Carian Knight make mincemeat out of her, the swordstress darted backwards on her quick feet, giving them quite a bit of distance. But rather than give the surface dweller a breather, the Nox swordstress used the distance to display a completely different properly of the sword: its ability to be used as a pliable whip. It had Adrian stunned, not just from the rapid, harsh blow and the resulting cracking noise, but from the very fact he had no way to expect that the sword that seemed so solid could behave like a liquid, lengthening and thinning itself out.

Rather than leave an even larger opening switching out a falchion for his glintstone staff to fire off spells, the Carian Knight instead activated the special ability of his right falchion. Large shards of ice shot out of opening crags on the skybridge they stood on, billowing with unnaturally cold vapor, right at and under the swordstress. As it visibly stunned her, nearly destroying her footing and causing her to tumble as magical frost began to creep across her armor, Adrian leaped forward with his own barrage of flowing sword slashes at the staggered opponent.

He finally felled the fierce Nox swordstress, but not without the previously sustained injuries and losing his breath from the energy of the fight. With nothing else hostile visible, he took the moment to catch his breath. His ears filled with not just the sound of his beating heart and heavy breath, but of a commotion far below him.

The living husks of the fallen hawk soldiers did little to faze Katarn, as his surroundings was covered in platinum liquid and mangled limbs. He did receive a shallow bite on the shoulder and several burns from the strange necromancy they wielded , but nothing a flask of crimson tears could not fix. (He dismissed the chilliness soaking into his bones as mere side-effects of adrenaline.) What did concern him, however, was the way Nokron’s almost timeless peace was disturbed by his brief battle. Despite it being entombed by miles of rock, the Eternal Cities still emanates some semblance of life. As if the reanimated corpse of a monster rises to protect its secret heirloom.

Katarn dropped down a steep slope onto the balcony of a crumbling obsidian tower. Far away, tacked between intricately designed buildings the likes of which unseen on the surface world, a withered throne lied concealed in faint silver fog. A gigantic skeleton sat slumped on the throne, clad in what Katarn could only assume was queenly robe of the Nox people. He felt… a strange magnetic feeling, as if the ancient corpse beacons him closer to uncover its secrets.

The heavy thump behind him drew a sign of relief from Katarn; he should’ve known better than to doubt Sir Adrian’s determination. He waved the carian knight closer.

“I see you’ve come all these way behind me, my friend. And not without much fighting, ” He added, upon taking notice of the slash marks covering Adrian’s otherwise stainless armor. “But I fear we still have more adversaries ahead. That would be Night’s Sacred Grounds, if the records were not mistaken. We are to retrieve a knife here… said to be capable of severing divine control.”  

[lunarbrambles]

Adrian made small, introspective noises as he listened to Katarn and thought over the topic at hand. Again, it seemed his new companion deeply believed what he spoke about, and for once he decided to push away the itchy, uncomfortable questions his mind kept raising because Adrian had been through so much his trust in others had been forever shaken. Blasphemy against the Greater Will and the Golden Order absolutely didn't bother him; after all, he worshiped the moon, and once the Shattering happened, it became clear how willing they had been to drop not just Caria as an ally, but the veneer of civility. The demigods broke out into all too human and all too selfish squabbles over power.

It should be no surprise that they should be so selfish and cruel: after all, the demigods were merely people with divine powers granted by the Great Rune and by extension the Greater Will.

With a pensive furrow of his brow, the Tarnished knight took the map and looked over it. Then, he turned his attention again to Katarn. "Interesting how it leads to one of the Eternal Cities, banished from the surface for offending the Golden Order so thoroughly. Yes, I'll meet you there. I'm very intrigued about where this all leads," he replied with a raised eyebrow. It seemed fitting that the path would lead deep underground to the cursed city of Nokron whose magical society greatly resembled that of Caria, down to being matrilinear and deifying the moon.

After a moment, he asked, "Do you have any idea what to expect when we're there? So I know how to prepare for it, I mean."

lunarbrambles​:

The more Katarn explained himself to Adrian, the more confused he became, and the more questions it ended up raising. Most importantly, he wanted to know his place in all of this as a Tarnished. It seemed the Tarnished, as loathed and despised as they were, were in high demand for their unique attributes, and apparently not just by the Golden Order. Admittedly, it made him distrustful, including of the very thing was being told. But, perhaps he was wrong, and he was more than willing to be proven wrong.

“I… I’m not sure?” he paused, having never even heard the term previously, but something about it resonated within in, as though he absolutely should have known, as his eyes darted around, “…Where, where are you going with this?” His head quirked to the side even more. It still hadn’t clicked for him. Adrian did remember hearing that Marika was somehow bound to the half-wolf Maliketh, but hadn’t known the finer details that Katarn bequeathed him. Truth be told, he knew less than he probably should because of his utter distaste for what the Golden Order did, especially after Radagon left Rennala.

The moment, however, the other went on about the Night of Black Knives, the countenance of the Carian Knight changed immediately, suddenly alert eyes so fixated on him they bore into him. He didn’t even need to see the lunar insignia to know with fair certainty whom Katarn spoke of. Of course, it shocked him to the core; he remembered the Night of the Black Knives (and not just because it branded the Carians as distrustful once more), and the ensuing chaos when others came to kill the rest of the Carian princesses until there were none left. Everyone spoke as if it was Radagon’s abandonment that resulted in Rennala removing herself from the world as if her daughters hadn’t all been killed, not to mention Radahn’s terrible fate.

“If what you speak of is true, and I hope it is because the few alternatives are grimmer,” he said with both eyebrows raised, “Then are they—The Golden Order—aware at all? There’s only so long that can remain a secret.”

“Even if it is Princess Ranni, you will have to forgive my incredulity. Not because of what she did alone, but because of the power the Great Runes grant. Near absolute power is tempting, even to those with the noblest heart. What makes you certain that once mantling as a god, she wouldn’t betray her own cause as a result and become another Marika?” he asked with a sigh, not because he didn’t want to believe in a righteous cause but more because the power struggles made him tired.

He would prefer to keep the Lunar Princess’ exact identity a secret from the world… but it seemed Adrian is more privy to the lores of Carian Royalty than himself. Which should not come across as a surprise, seeing that Adrian most likely served that linage in his former life.

“Because, my friend, what she did had won her the wrath of the fingers and to some extension, the Greater Will. I dare not unveil further her schemes and intentions though, for if they succeeded, Rykard would writhe with joy in his grave. Blasphemy done right for once.” Katarn smiled sarcastically. “Marika woke up too late. When opposing a higher power, you either betray everything you stood for, or be crushed without a second thought. She still clung to her Golden Dynasty, and look what it has become. One God’s mistakes require another to fix, I suppose.”

He handed out a transcript from his parcel. Duty calls, but he might use a reliable hand at his back. “Sir Adrian, I am afraid I must be on my way soon. Radahn’s meteor revealed an underground relic, Ranni believed it was the legendary Nokron City. Follow this map and meet me at the site, if you will? Perhaps a journey of discovery would reveal more about her envisioned Order.” Otherwise, while Katarn harbored no love for the Golden Order, he would still demand answers from Ranni. For all these misery and suffering, for the twisted corpse of a once vibrant demigod he admired.

[lunarbrambles]

A small noise, strange and unfitting so for the tall knight who usually spoke almost as lout as their physical presence just out of innocent habit, escaped the mouth of the former Carian knight as gentle fingers drifted up his body towards his cheeks and up into his shoulder-length curls. For a moment, he forgot himself; he leaned into the touch with closed eyes as whatever tension in his body suddenly relaxed. He let out a small hum, then opened his still rheumy brown eyes. Clearing his throat, he then gave Alberich a watery, sheepish smile.

"That feels rather nice. I kind of don't want it to stop but," Adrian let out a chuckle, "I think I'd drift off to sleep."

He caught one of Alberich's hands and gave it a gentle squeeze, followed by placing a quick kiss on it, before his turning his gaze back upon the sorcerer. There might have been a forest around him, and at some point he was fairly certain the sorcerer's odd hat had been lost, but the only thing he really saw in that moment was the man in his arms.

"Yes, I would, should you give me the chance—and more," he replied with an intense look in his serious eyes as though possessed, but it soon subsided into his normal gentleness, "Gods, I want to prove myself to you—would do anything to prove myself to you. Let my actions speak louder than words... please."

The last word came out of him a half begging whine, despite well knowing he had more than achieved what he hoped would occur. And to think, all he wanted was to see all of his face, his sublimely beautiful face.

It was more than he could have ever dreamed of, having Alberich this close, touching each other, being open with each other. He had scarcely let alone know about the unseemly things about his past, his private shame; certainly hid it even when they started to get closer, because the thought of being laughed at destroyed him. And now here he was, learning just how reciprocal it was, and not simply their attraction to one another. Their pain, different yet rhyming in certain ways and places, reminded him he couldn't possibly be dreaming. Even now, his chest felt tight, his throat with a lump in it, but slowly it resided.

"I suppose I do have some courage, then," he said with a sniffle, "I have been afraid of rejection since, well, becoming Tarnished. When I realized there was no reason for me to be so alone any longer..."

He laughed. It sounded ridiculous, but it harbored a painful truth, and it also made him feel deep guilt to thrive after the fall of Caria Manor.

"You'd think I would have been happy. I was more scared than anything else. It sounds ridiculous but..." Adrian shrugged his shoulders as his cheeks turned a bit red out of sheer shame. It was difficult to convey the feeling, the terror of finally being free.

When Alberich's grip on Adrian tightened, he pulled him into his arms again and hugged him tightly, falling silent as he simply listened to him. It didn't surprise him the least that during that time at the Roundtable Hold, the sorcerer found someone to occupy his time; Adrian would have to have been conceited to think otherwise, given the sorcerer's wit and appearance. It made sense to him that someone else would try to catch Alberich's eye, though he did feel just a slight pang of jealousy, if only out of the wish to have been there instead. And besides, there was no shame in wanting intimacy, in wanting to be touched. The Carian Knight would have been a damn hypocrite anyways, burning with a desire he would not, could not fulfill, if at that time for someone else completely unobtainable.

"Oh, Alberich. I'm sorry. I'm so, so, so sorry," he rasped out, feeling emotions well up again at seeing, feeling, hearing the sorcerer breaking down. The temptation to squeeze harder gnawed at him, but he minded the plate armor, and did not wish to cause any discomfort as a result of either not knowing his own strength or pressing him into the armor. Suddenly, he reminded himself they sat in a forest, instead of some place where he could comfortably curl up with the shorter man out of his armor in plain clothing.

Pressing a kiss into his snow white hair, the former Carian knight gently hushed him and said, "I'm here, sweetheart. I'm here." One of his hands went to Alberich's head, petting his hair, and he sighed softly.

"I'm here, and I'm not leaving you, okay? Not ever. Look at me. I'm not leaving you. I'm not going to let you fall apart," the former knight gently lifted his chin as he spoke in a soft, soothing voice, giving him a smile as warm and careful as his touch and tone.

Adrian then whispered, "...Would you like me to kiss you? On your lips... just like I thought about on that day. You know the one. Your personality and intelligence attracted me first, but I didn't realize you were so pretty. Like a vine of jasmine."

   Hearing these words, unexpected as it was, felt right, everything fell into place. For a moment, no one but the woods around them spook as the sorcerer could to little but admired the knight before him with a soft expression. His hands wandered from Adrian's chest to the former knights cheek, to strands of deep brown hair pooling around his shoulders. Lovely. Was what he had thought when he had seen the knight without his helmet for the first time. Briefly he had even dared to wonder what it would feel like to let his fingers run through it. Alberich had always admired Adrian in silence, he was handsome, noble and understanding underneath the mask of a knight. And underneath it, buried deep was so much agony.

   It pained him, to see some that he treasured so leave themselves vulnerable to so much anguish for the sake of declaring their love. So much that he could only hold onto Adrian in disbelief, his eyes constantly searching the others expression for answers.

   "You would give all this to me ... your secrets, your love and devotion ..." Words escaped him, his mouth felt oddly dry with his heart beat pulsing deep in his throat. Trembling fingers reach out to touch Adrian's cheek gently wiping away each tear before replacing it with a soft kiss. "Adrian you are simply wonderful, you are kind and loving beyond measure. I can not fathom ... If you hadn't had the courage to speak up I can not say with confidence I would have dare to speak up ..." If I had lost you. If had woken up and never found you. What if you had become another victim buried underneath an all consuming, pointless war.

   Alberichs eyes stung and he felt his grip on Adrian tighten as if he could fall apart beneath him. "I have felt empty for such a long time after the Shattering. I would return to my spells and scriptures, but I could barely pay them any mind when I could feel myself tear open on the inside. I had met someone ... we've went our separate ways long ago, but ..." He quickly bit his lip. What was he even saying. Why was he rambling? He had never had the heart to tell Adrian much about his years in the Roundtable Hold, but now was hardly the moment for it was it?

   "It pains me to speak of it, Leyndell, the Roundtable Hold ... but I should not conceal so much of myself from you. I know I spoke of my journey there in letters and you yourself certainly knew of my departure, but of my stay I hardly wrote. I did not wish the misery I experienced there, brief as it was, to affect anyone else ..." Alberich's lips began to quiver, he swallowed hard, buried the grief, before he resumed his story.

   "I met a knight of the same age and although we shared little in interests or beliefs we were very much drawn to each other ..." Scandalous; a judgmental voice echoed in his mind. Alberich averted his gaze, when he felt the embarrassment suddenly creep up on him, a moment longer and he feared Adrian could read the details of their couplings from his face. It felt wrong to bring up such a matter when he was right here in Adrian's arms. To admit he had been seeing someone else when he had just declared how much he had missed him moments ago. But he wanted to be honest. Adrian deserved his honesty. And Alberich hoped he would understand.

   "I had know him as a friend first and foremost and I always considered him that, but neither of us was opposed to have a bit of fun, every now and then. We were both young and foolish, not that it matters since it all has become part of history now. After the Shattering, we both were woken from grace and found our way back to the Roundtable Hold, but as death had so violently torn us from life it also fractured the bond we shared. We never had been alike in mind or thought, he cared for the Order, for the words of the Two Fingers and I took up my studies from where I had left them. He kept on walking forward, guided by his maiden to take up where others had failed. To become a lord ... but he broke from the pressure and fell, he lost himself to the despair and he turned his back to me. Vyke left me ..." A sob broke past his lips and he found himself curling inwards to the warmth of Adrians embrace. The words he had so hurriedly confessed, made him feel lightheaded and he inadvertently clung harder to Adrian as another sob wrecked through this body.

   Vyke had left him, without any last words. Alberich had been in disbelief, he fell to his knees and cursed himself, cursed the maiden which had worn her way into his heart so easily and clawed at his own skin until he drew blood. The halls were still empty. Vyke would not come back. And the sorcerer felt like a fool. Unwanted and undesired even in death. And alone.

   But Adrian said he loved him. "Please don't stop holding me ..." He whispered and turned in Adrian's embrace, burrowing his pale face in the other's chest. "Please ... stay with me, I don't want to be alone again ..."